Arnica, a herb, is applied as an ointment, it soothes muscle aches as well as rid of pain from a bruise. Calendula is the best, it protects skin cells from being damaged, and is a fast acting herb for protection. The only other herb I know of is comfrey, wich may work better than calendula depending on when you treat the bruise. It's kind of like a shrub.
Arnica is good, but using it makes me nervous. Ingestion of it is fatal. Good old castor oil does the trick and you can get it from practically any store. Just rub it in. If you do it directly after an injury, you won't even bruise. If you do it later, keep applying every few hours and it should be practically gone the next day.
For older bruises you can also use a poultice of chamomile for 20-40min. I chill a very strong 6hr infusion of it and keep it on hand for bruises. It lasts 1 week in the fridge.
As stated before, Arnica is fantastic in treating bruises. Make a tea of arnica and soak rags in this tea and apply it to the bruise to help it heal. Arnica is fantastic because it is anti-inflammatory, Antiseptic, and a general pain reliever. As also mentioned, it is NOT to be ingested (taken internally), because it can cause some serious health issues.
You may also make a tincture of arnica, and apply 3 drops to the bruise and rub them into the skin twice daily.
Another wonderful herb is Comfrey. It is best to use a comfrey salve (with some drops of the arnica tincture mixed within the salve, of course) in this situation. Comfrey has been used since ancient greece for many skin problems, and it is probably my most favorite herb to turn into a salve. Comfrey contains allantoin, which is a chemical that aids in skin repair, and is an active ingredient in most commercial skin creams. This amazing herb is also an anti-inflammatory, and it would be benificial to apply it topically to the skin. Another method of application is a tea of comfrey could be made. Soak rags in this tea and apply it to the skin. I caution you to not ingest comfrey, because, like arnica, it can cause major health issues. Comfrey contains certain alkaloids that are considered to be toxic in moderate to high ammounts. So I caution you to not ingest it.
Another good herb for bruises is St. John's Wort. Although it is not a prominent use for this herb, it is still a good use. Making an oil of this herb and applying it to the bruise daily should aid in the healing of the bruise. St. John's Wort is relatively good for bruises because it is an anti-inflammatory, and an antiseptic. You can also apply this herb using a tincture, using about 10 drops twice daily to the affected area and rubbing it in. I suggest you don't ingest St. John's Wort because it is mild sedative, and is mainly used to treat diseases of the nervous system, and depression. So Ingesting this herb will not grant much beneficial value in this situation.
Anyways, this is what I have to offer. I hope this helps.
